Local uproar after horrific discovery at seaside tourist village during school holidays
Residents in a seaside village are fearful a gang of youths in hoodies could be responsible for the gruesome find.
Locals living along a picturesque waterfront strip that's popular during the school holidays, have been shaken by a grim discovery in a community garden. And some suspect foul play.
Most evenings black swans can be seen gliding gracefully between the sweeping piers and luxury yachts that are dotted around Saratoga’s waters. Visiting outsiders often visit the quiet NSW Central Coast village and leave rubbish behind, and it often falls upon residents to clean up.
And one local woman, who asked that she only be identified as Jennifer, was weeding a small public garden when she spotted something unusual growing between the native daisies on Thursday morning.
“It was not what I expected to see. I thought oh my gosh. I’ve found the head of a swan,” she told Yahoo News.
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Locals concerned swan could have been decapitated by youths
Locals are in fear that humans are responsible for the swan's death. And there's been an uproar on a community social media group.
"It’s frightening to think that kids could have done this," one person wrote. "Just horrific that someone could do this!!! And it’s scary that those people are walking among us," another said.
After talking with a neighbour, Jennifer became aware there had been a “ruckus” on Tuesday evening.
After reviewing surveillance footage, she was able to see “five juveniles” in “hoodies” running to the children’s play area at night.
“You don’t do that to a defenceless bird. They’re so beautiful those swans. What kind of person creeps up on some bird that’s sleeping and then just chops its head off?” she said.
“If they're going to do that to a bird, they're going to grow up bigger and stronger and meaner and do it to a human.”
Why the swan may not have been directly killed by a human
While it's entirely possible the swan was killed by a gang of youths in hoodies, a wildlife vet who examined a photo of the dead bird revealed there are other possibilities.
"That's not to say I could rule out human cruelty because, unfortunately, I have seen it all. Unfortunately, there are really sick people out there," WIRES vet Dr Tanya Bishop told Yahoo News.
"And during school holidays I see way too many animals with arrows shot through them."
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Although some locals speculated the swan could have been killed by a fox, Bishop thinks that's unlikely.
"I don't think a fox would be that wasteful to leave that much fleshy material behind," she said. "It doesn't look like anything a native species would do either."
Bishop thinks the most likely culprit is a domestic dog, and the discovery of the swan is a reminder to keep them on leads, particularly when travelling during the holidays.
"Somebody's dog could have given it a real shaking, taken part of the body and left a bit behind," she said.
"There's also a problem with people taking out their dog and then feeding [the swans]. Because the swans don't learn that the dog is something that they should stay away from."
Warnings that pets must be secured during school holiday travel have been echoed by advocacy group World Animal Protection.
"It's important not just for the safety of wildlife, but also for the safety of your companion animal as well," it's head of campaigns Suzanne Milthorpe told Yahoo.
Speaking in general about the issue of humans harming wildlife she said most of the destruction is inflicted by issues like deforestation and invasive species. But there are occasional reports of "really horrific wildlife crime" committed by individuals.
"Unfortunately there are a patchwork of laws across the states which are inconsistent. And they're not commensurate with the value the community places on our wildlife," she said.
"Right now our national animal welfare laws are being reviewed, and it's vital that this approach is based at its heart on recognition that they are sentient creatures. They're living, thinking, feeling, breathing animals who have value and who we value."
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